On a day with no less than 18 finals, Renee Regis (club: Shaftesbury Barnet Harriers, coach: Darren Braithwaite), Jeremiah Azu (Cardiff, Helen James) and Hannah Nuttall (Charnwood, Helen Clitheroe) were among the stand-out performers on the second and final day of action at the Novuna UK Athletics Indoor Championships in Birmingham.
After producing a blistering championship record in the semi-finals with 22.89 – the third quickest ever from a British woman indoors – Renee Regis returned to the track to take the women’s 200m crown with 22.95.
Showing no signs of being reeled in from lane six, Regis put a huge gap in between her and the field to charge away and stop the clock in another sub-23 time, with Hannah Brier (Swansea Harriers, Rhys Williams), running 23.37 for silver, and Brooke Ironside (Bournemouth AC, Zachary Kerin) clocking 23.92m from lane two for bronze.
“I didn’t expect to run that fast in the semi-final – my coaches told me to hit it and commit, so that’s exactly what I did,” said Regis, who was then presented with her gold medal by father and former world champion John Regis.
“It was quite funny to see my Dad was presenting me with the medal. He didn’t tell me he was doing it, but it was a really nice moment.”
Returning to the track after 60m gold yesterday – and having showed no signs of fatigue following a 21 second clocking in the semi-finals – Jeremiah Azu added men’s 200m gold to his ever-growing domestic collection with a flying personal best run from lane six.
Full gas from the gun, Azu laid a hard foundation over the opening 100m to hold a lead off the final bend, before then finding commendable strength to hold off the charge of Ezekiel Lowe (Victoria Park Harriers & Tower Hamlets) – who was later disqualified for a lane infringement – and cross the line in 20.77.
Fresh off a personal best in the semi-finals, Lee Thompson (Sheffield & Dearne, John Henson) initially finished with bronze in a time of 21.34 before being upgraded to silver, with Corey Nealon-Richards (Sheffield & Dearne, Lewis Samuel) running 21.63 for bronze after an initial fourth place placing.
Azu reflected: “It’s about time that I became a sprinter and cover the 60m, 100m and the 200m. It’s an honour to win medals nationally and race the best in the UK and heading into the World Indoors I feel like I am in a good place.”
From a field of seven, Hannah Nuttall, Katie Snowden (Herne Hill) and Eloise Walker (Edinburgh, Trevor Painter) headed up the start list of the women’s 3000m.
After an opening kilometre of 2:58, and with Walker continuing to lead the running with a kilometre to go, Nuttall bided her time before hitting the front with 800m to run, Snowden going with the move to keep in touch.
Holding the qualifying mark for the world indoors, as well as the status of British number one this year so far, Nuttall wound the pace up to try and burn off Snowden and Walker, the uplift in pace propelling her to a 8:41.76 time, breaking Jo Pavey’s 24-year-old championship record.
Snowden kept to her own task to hold onto silver, her time 8:46.09, with Walker’s late push seeing her come home in 8:48.45 for bronze.
Post-race, a delighted Nuttall said: “You never know how it is going to go with Championship races, and it went out pretty quick which I really enjoyed. In championship running I am never really thinking about the time, so the record just came with it, I guess. If I had won in nine minutes, I would have been happy. When I saw the clock, it was even better.”
The early running was made by Joe Tuffin (Birmingham Running, Jethro McGraw) in the men’s 3000m final as he led a field of sixteen through the opening kilometre at inside 2:37.
The pace slowed a little as a handful of athletes then came by Tuffin, event favourite Henry McLuckie (Isle of Wight, Geoff Watkin) nipping in front to take control, shadowed by Thomas Keen (Cambridge & Coleridge, Mark Vile) as two kilometres came up in 5:19.
Keen and McLuckie went blow for blow over the final 400m, Keen making a decisive move before then being reeled back in by the British number one, a thriller of a photo-finish seeing Keen given the nod with a time of 7:51.68 to McLuckie’s 7:51.70.
Pushing hard for the line, Ted Higgins’ (Tonbridge AC. Mark Hoodway) effort saw him rewarded with a personal best time of 7:53.21 and British indoor bronze.
Donning the British leading red bib on the start line, Jemma Reekie (Kilbarchan, Jon Bigg) quite literally led the way in the women’s 1500m final to come out on top in a time of 4:26.27.
Off a sluggish opening 76 seconds 400m to open things up, Reekie and Revee Walcott-Nolan (Luton AC) continued to pull a bunched field of ten around the track before Reekie decided to up the tempo with 400m to run. Fending off the attack of Walcott-Nolan, the Scot stretched out and put daylight between herself and the field to take the title.
Keeping something in reserve, Molly Hudson (Derby) produced the performance of her life to get up for silver in 4:27.21 from Walcott-Nolan’s 4:27.28 for bronze.
In the men’s 1500m, after a bumpy start, seven men went out in hard fashion in the men’s 1500m final, led by Adam Fogg (Coventry Godiva. Keeping the race hard and honest throughout, Fogg kept his eyes out in front and maintained his head with 400m to run.
Many changes were to come to the running order, however, as a bunched group of four athletes saw Jack Higgins scorch by on the outside despite being fourth with 100m to run, coming by Fogg and the duo of James McMurray (St Albans, Deborah Steer) and Henry Jonas (City of Norwich, Christopher McGeorge). His effort took the win in a championship record time of 3:38.12.
McMurray’s bold tilt at the title saw him rewarded with a season’s best time of 3:38.36 for silver, Jonas clocking 3:38.39 to win bronze.
Just 3cm separated gold from bronze in the men’s long jump, Alessandro Schenini (Glasgow Jaguars, Alasdair Strange) producing his title-winning jump with his very first on the day, the mark of 7.53m seeing him upgrade from the British indoor silver won last year.
Just 1cm behind was Jack Roach (Morpeth, Joe McDonnell), who also produced his best mark – 7.52m – in round one, with Daniel Emegbor (Harrow, Rohan Samuel) taking bronze with a best of 7.50m in round two.
In throws action, Scott Lincoln was an absolute cut above as he collected an 10th British indoor title in the men’s shot put – becoming the record holder for the most domestic indoor titles – with a round six best of 20.80m, a season’s best, as part of a hugely consistent series of throws.
Lincoln’s margin of victory was in excess of four and a half metres, with Patrick Swan (Cornwall, Ryan Spencer-Jones) up for silver with 17.12m, and Dillon Claydon (Blackheath & Bromley, John Hillier) winning bronze with 16.87m
Serena Vincent (City of Portsmouth, Mike Winch) took the crown in the women’s event, her best put of 17.33m, a season’s best mark, a clear winner on the day ahead of the returning Sophie McKinna (Great Yarmouth & District AC, Greg Beard) in silver with 16.27m.
World champion in the para athletics F20 category, Sabrina Fortune (Deeside AAC, Ryan Spencer-Jones) achieved a new personal best of 15.12m for bronze.
In the much awaited women’s 800m final, fresh off a scorching 1:57 clocking in Boston last month, Issy Boffey (Enfield & Haringey, Luke Gunn) quickly took control off the break, keeping the pace hard and honest with 58.5 through 400m. Continuing to string the field out while keeping an eye on those on her shoulder, Boffey pulled away in the final 100m to clock 1:59.64, her second quickest ever time indoors.
In fourth with 100m to run, Emily Simpson (Sheffield & Dearne, Kyle Bennett) timed the use of her reserves superbly to produce an indoor personal best of 2:01.43, with Shaikira King (Wreake & Soar Valley, Jon Bigg) also running her quickest ever time indoors with 2:01.49 to take bronze.
After a huge indoor personal best last month after years away from indoor racing, Ben Pattison (Dave Ragan, Basingstoke & Mid Hants) produced a commanding gun to tape victory in the men’s 800m final.
Never looking threatened, Pattison’s time of 1:52.77 saw him leave the field in his dust, with the shake-up for medals five or so metres back with Henry Fisher (Blackheath & Bromley, Dean Miller) edging out Ethan Hussey (Leeds City, Trevor Painter) for silver, 1:53.43 to Hussey’s 1:53.77.
Leading at the bell after an aggressive opening 200m, British leader Lewis Davey (Newham & Essex Beagles, Trevor Painter) produced a season’s best of 46.45 to take the British title in the men’s 400m.
Pushing out from lane three, Harry Bradley (Alex Currie, Newport Harriers) produced the run of his life to clock a personal best of 47.04 for silver, while, working hard off the outside and just running out of track as he too contended for silver, Seamus Derbyshire (City of Stoke, Alex O’Gorman) clocked 47.12 to win bronze.
The very last action on track saw Yemi Mary John (Woodford Green Essex Ladies, Alan Green) take a huge scalp in beating reigning world indoor champion Amber Anning in the women’s 400m final.
Holding her form and looking strong at the bell, John successfully attacked round the outside of Anning to come into the lead and lean for the line in 51.69 for a first British title, with Louisa Stoney (Belgrade Harriers) out-dipping Anning on the line to pinch silver in a personal best time of 51.83. Anning matched the time for bronze.
Women’s triple jump action saw reigning champion Georgina Forde-Wells (Woodford Green & Essex Ladies, Lukasz Zawila) made to battle hard for the title against both Reese Robinson (Shatesbury Barnet, Benjamin Davies) and Leila Newth (Ealing Southall & Middlesex, David Johnson), both of whom produced best ever jumps.
Forde-Wells found her form in round four, going out to 13.46m before then improving to 13.53m – with Robinson’s round-three personal best of 13.05m good for silver. At just 15 years old, Leila Newth added 19cm to her lifetime best to sail out to 12.95m in round two, a mark good for bronze at her first ever senior national championships.
In the men’s high jump, Joel Clarke-Khan (Thames Valley, Deirdre Elmhirst) notched up a first ever British indoor title on his continued successful return from injury, a cleaner scorecard seeing 2.19m bring up victory ahead of Regan Corrin (Manx Harriers, Emma Lowry), who cleared the same height for a new personal best, but settled for silver owing to more previous failures.
Divine Duruaku (Harrow, Julian Reid) completed the podium, a season’s best of 2.15m and a cleaner series seeing him take bronze ahead of two competitors with the same mark.
In the women’s equivalent, Kate Anson (Liverpool Harriers) enjoyed a squeaky-clean series of jumps to first take the title with 1.81m, before then going on to clear 1.84m with all eyes in the stadium on her.
After a clutch jump at 1.78m to stay in contention, Thea Brown (Sale Harriers, Ashley Bryant) went over at 1.81m to bring up British silver, with Hannah Lake’s (Cardiff AC, Deirdre Elmhirst) season’s best of 1.78m good for bronze.
In a combined race, the men’s and women’s 3000m race walks finals saw British number one Cameron Corbishley (Medway & Maidstone, Andi Drake) take the spoils in men’s race, moving away from his competitors over the final four laps or so to cross over in a time of 11:55.16, a season’s best.
Only a penalty denied silver medallist Guy Thomas (Tonbridge, Verity Snook) a likely personal best time as he clocked for silver in 12:36.46 from a field of four men, with just two medals consequently awarded.
Returning to the British indoor championships for the first time in four years, Bethan Davies (Cardiff, Andi Drake) racked up another British title with a time of 14:00.94, Abigail Jennings (Aldershot Farham & District, Verity Snook) some ten seconds or so further back to collect silver with 14:11.59, and Jessica Wilton (Ashford, Christopher Hobbs) just outside 15 minutes with 15:01.59 for bronze.
Results from the Novuna UK Athletics Indoor Championships can be found here.